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Bushfire season has arrived with brutal force, impacting Victorian wineries - this extra episode is to answer your questions around what this means.

From Strathbogie Ranges and Yea through to watch zones near the Yarra Valley, we map the fire lines, the shifting winds, and the hard choices facing growers who are only weeks from harvest. It’s not just scorched rows and lost stock; the bigger, quieter threat is in the smoke you can’t taste on the grape but can’t ignore in the glass.

We break down smoke taint in plain language: how guaiacol and m‑cresol bind to sugars in the vine, why reds are at higher risk, and how distance, density, and duration of smoke shape outcomes. You’ll hear how bench ferments and AWRI testing guide go or no‑go calls, why thresholds are so unforgiving, and when it makes sense not to pick at all. Along the way, we talk logistics on the ground—melted dripper lines, charred posts, closed roads, and the heartbreak of not being able to turn on irrigation during a heat spike. Spring frosts have already clipped yields in parts of Yarra and Beechworth, so the supply cushion is thin, and cellar doors are closing to keep roads clear, hitting tourism and cash flow at the worst moment.

Through it all, the wine community is rallying—offering fruit, sharing testing know‑how, and keeping information moving. If you want to help, start with your glass: buy Victorian wine, and where possible buy direct so every dollar lands with the producer. Share this conversation with friends who love Pinot, Shiraz, and the regions behind them. Subscribe for more grounded, no‑nonsense insights, leave a review to boost the signal, and tell us which wineries you’re backing so we can amplify and connect support.

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A glass of champagne in hand and a year’s worth of tasting notes on the table, we set out to crown ten wines that genuinely moved us. Not the priciest. Not the rarest. The bottles that delivered texture, balance and joy—whether poured at a barbecue, opened for a milestone, or discovered on a whim at the local.

We start with the unexpected: an Australian Arinto that lives in the mineral, nutty space between categories, and a Pouilly Fumé that rehabilitates Sauvignon Blanc with flint, smoke and structure. Then comes the conversation starter—a supermarket Chardonnay so composed and complete it became our benchmark for modern Margaret River style. From there, we travel to Beechworth for a savoury, high-country Nebbiolo that whispers Langhe without mimicry, and we revisit Tasmanian Pinot Noir for a masterclass in elegance over power. Barossa Syrah gets a fresh reading too: lifted perfume, red fruit purity and mineral lines that sidestep heaviness.

Discovery is half the fun. A Greek Agiorgitiko proves that twenty dollars can buy perfume, supple tannin and weeknight versatility. In the Yarra Valley, Giant Steps Applejack Pinot shows how precision and site expression can make a wine feel inevitable. We also make the case for patience with Scarborough’s The Obsessive Semillon—buy the current vintage, tuck it away, and watch citrus and lanolin unfurl into something profound.

And then our number one: Tim Adams Clare Valley Pinot Gris. Textural, floral, crisp and priced so you can pour it freely at Christmas lunch. When both a Master of Wine and a new wine lover choose the same bottle on merit, that’s the sweet spot we live for. Join us for the stories, the friendly arguments, and the practical buying tips to help you drink better without spending more.

If you enjoyed this year’s ride, follow our socials, share the episode with a friend who loves a good value find, and leave a quick review—your support helps us keep the glasses clinking next year. Cheers.

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We taste through Australian icons and ask what truly makes a wine “great”: site, story, structure, or time. From Great Western’s mineral Shiraz to Margaret River’s silky Cabernet, Grange’s legend and Noble One’s golden botrytis, we weigh value, ageability and joy.

• Best’s Bin 0 Shiraz 2021 as elegant, dark-fruited Great Western benchmark
• Continental climate, phenolic ripeness and stony granitic tannins
• Thompson Family Shiraz 2020 from 1868 pre-phylloxera vines
• Why cellaring matters and protecting historic vineyards
• Margaret River Cabernet structure versus Yarra Valley tannin
• Barrel selection and blending for balance and perfume
• Penfolds Grange history, pricing, ageing and corking clinics
• Botrytis mechanics behind Noble One and food matches
• Pride in Australian diversity and value at multiple price points
• Aldi picks: Chianti for weeknight food pairing and value

Make sure you come back for that until next time. Enjoy your next glass of wine and drink well

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